So I just experienced my first earthquake

[Smid]

I think at a personal level, a major tornado would be more terrifying than a major earthquake - although both would be pretty frightening. I think that's predominantly because I'm rarely in a high rise... I think an earthquake would be worse in a high rise.

[dead0man]

The top 10 natural death events (excluding famine and disease)are:
1.1931 Chinese Flood
2.1887 Yellow River Flood
3.1556 Chinese earthquake
4.1970 Bangladesh cyclone
5.1839 India cyclone
6.526 Turkey earthquake
7.2004 Indian Ocean earthquake/tsunami
8.1976 China earthquake
9.1920 china earthquake
10.1975 China flood

As for America only:
1.1900 Galveston hurricane > 6000
2.1906 SanFran earthquake >3000
3.1928 Florida/Puerto Rico cyclone >2500
4.1960 Hawaii/Alaska tsunami >2290
5.1893 louisiana hurricane ~2000
6.2005 Hurricane Katrina 1836
7.1980 Heat Wave midwest and south ~1700
8.1871 Wisconsin fire >1200
9.1893 S.Carolina/Georgia hurricane >1000
10.1995 heat wave chicago 739
BONUS!11.1925 TORNADO! ~ 700


and from the wiki on Tornados

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Tornados are not something that need to be feared....especially in 2009.  The last time more than 100 people died in a tornado on US soil was in 1953.

[Associate Justice PiT]

I think at a personal level, a major tornado would be more terrifying than a major earthquake - although both would be pretty frightening. I think that's predominantly because I'm rarely in a high rise... I think an earthquake would be worse in a high rise.

     Personally, the idea of earthquakes scares me a lot more, though that's because earthquakes are more of a reality for me. I might never see a tornado, but the next super-earthquake will hit the bay area any year now.

[dead0man]

I'm more concerned with the New Madrid 'quake than I am tornadoes (and I'm not all that concerned about the quake).

[Smid]

Bumping for my second earthquake, much stronger than the last (or I was closer to it this time).

[CLARENCE 2015!]

Glad to see you posting on the web... hope that means you're not covered in rubble!

[anvi]

I'm more concerned with the New Madrid 'quake than I am tornadoes (and I'm not all that concerned about the quake).

Tornados do concern me, because my current apartment in Illinois has no basement.  But I'm more concerned about the New Madrid quake too, since that would effect my current neighborhood a lot.  A few years ago, we got a little 4.3 shaker and a few aftershocks just to remind us that the fault line was there.  Nothing as bad as I felt every other week while living in Tokyo.  But one never knows....

Glad you're ok Smid.  I know from experience that quakes can be really quite frightening.

[Smid]

Cheers for your thoughts - I probably should have elaborated on the "much stronger than the last" comment - it wasn't strong, it's just the one I used to start this thread was only strong enough to rattle glasses on the shelf and the windows, and a bit of a sound like a freight train on the railway line a hundred metres or so away.

This one wasn't strong, it was just stronger than the last, in that we could actually feel it and it seemed a bit strange with the room moving a bit... still wasn't strong - according to the news, was probably 60-70km from me, and somewhere in the vicinity of 5.2 to 5.5 - so really not strong at all, it's only reading my post in hindsight that it sounded more dramatic than was actually the case. My apologies for that.

Here is an article about the various Twitter comments that came out afterwards.

[Platypus]

I felt it here, and was about 25m above ground, so I was compelled to go to a doorway. Pretty uncomfortable sensation.

[Smid]

Mate, still need to have you over for drinks. Budget's been a bit tight of late/austerity and fiscal constraint and all that, bu I have almost all of a slab of Guinness in the fridge, still plenty of wine and a shelf of a wide range of spirits... Plus a spare bedroom if you want to sleep off the booze before heading back.

[Platypus]

Yep, life's a bit hectic at the moment for me also but I should be free late next week/weekend.

[Smid]

I'll give you a call and we'll organise it.

I felt it here, and was about 25m above ground, so I was compelled to go to a doorway. Pretty uncomfortable sensation.

Back on topic, whereabouts were you? CBD or Southbank? That would have been a horrible feeling!

[Platypus]

at home, third-and-a-half floor, so maybe only 15m on further analysis.

[Smid]

Apparently another one tonight, I didn't feel it but a flat mate insisted she did so I googled and thought this sensationalist news story worthy of repeating. Apparently last months tremor was "massive" and big enough to make small objects shake...

Sorry about the poor editing job in the quote, new phone and still getting used to using it.

 http://mobile.news.com.au/national/another-earthquake-shakes-victoria/story-fndo4cq1-1226431202141

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[Platypus]

I felt it, definitely got an adrenaline rush.